Remember that on the surface it is easier for you to spot the enemy than for the enemy to spot you, Dive only for two hours before dawn each day, to rest the crew, sweep with sound detection equipment, etc. Kretschmer was born in Heidau in what is now part of Poland, but then belonged to Germany. [63] On 7 March Kretschmer sank two ships from the convoy including the 20,638GRT Terje Viken. Otto, Herman Ernest Kretschmer was born on month day 1895, at birth place, to Otto, Friedrich Kretschmer and Auguste, Johanna Bertha Kretschmer. Its commander, Hugo Frster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war. That day, he was made chief-of-staff of the NATO command COMNAVBALTAP at Kiel, taking command on 15 June. Prien's demise was not disclosed. While his wartime actions have been narrated several times, his tactics, summarized by the famous motto 'one torpedo, one ship', have never been systematically analysed. [34] His greatest success was the sinking of Auckland Star, a 13,212GRT ship on 28 July followed by another two totalling 12,811GRT on 29 and 31 July. [18] Further patrols took U-23 around the British coast. Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. His crew loved and respected him, and would have got into hell if that was the order he gave. The officers were also taken to the prisoner-of-war camp at Grizedale Hall. Why? [18], From 1 March to 31 October 1958, Kretschmer served as Admiralstabsoffizier (Astoofficer of the admiralty staff) with the Fleet Command. Later that year, he had a lucky escape which almost cost him his life. Under water U-99 had no chance of catching her. Kretschmer achieved good results in mathematics and chemistry and passed his Abitur (school-leaving certificate) at 17. The crew abandoned ship and were questioned by Kretschmer. Otto Kretschmer was only in combat from September 1939 until March 1941 but was Germany's highest-scoring U-boat commander, sinking 47 ships totaling 274,333 tons. [21] He returned to Kiel, rather than Wilhelmshaven, on 16 October. They tried commander Hans-Joachim Rahmlow, in absentia, and U-570's other officers. When giving their wartime histories, the normal U-Bootfahrer would tell what boat he rode. The establishment of the Wehrmacht (Nazi German Armed Forces) in 1935 divided the major branches of the armed forces. After sinking the Magog, he gave his crew brandy as a reward. The ships used barrels for ballast to prevent them sinking. He was transported to the London Cage, a facility for MI19 to hold valuable enemy prisoners. Kretschmer was taken to London for interrogation. Only five survived. Otto passed away on month day 1981, at age 85 at death place. At the Indienststellung (commissioning) of U-99. It was not this way with U-99. With this result, Kapitnleutnant Kretschmer has reached . The renaming of the navy was a symbolic gesture, to erase the unpleasant memories of the 1920s and symbolise a new era. [71] Winston Churchill disclosed the capture of Kretschmer to the House of Commons on 21 March. While on vacation in Bavaria in the summer of 1998, after an accident on a boat on the Danube, while celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary, he stumbled and was unconscious, he died two days later, old age 86, on 05-08-1998. In the Atlantic, Kretschmer became bolder and bolder. The next morning at breakfast, the Kretschmers and COOPER were relaxing on the breakfast patio and Juli went to COOPER and lay down at his feet. Laurentic and Patroclus were attacked on the night of 3/4 November. In 1955, MacIntyre returned the Zeiss binoculars to Kretschmer. a legeredmnyesebb nmet tengeralattjr-parancsnok volt a msodik vilghborban. Kretschmer sank six and disabled a seventh. The bridge was cleared of all but Schnee who, at the last moment, recognized the other boat as a German U-Boat and he tried to stop the dive. The booklet was the music and award document, and the flowers were handed to him by Fraulein von Ribbentrop. In this work, Kretschmers success is appraised through the analysis of the key characteristics of his attacks, and the conditions of the battlefield in which he operated. The first time I met him and asked for an interview, he granted me a half hour following a luncheon celebrating his wife's birthday. He then moved to a Realgymnasium (secondary school). When a U-Boat returned from patrol, almost any and all U-Boats, the Skipper, officers, and crew were in great haste to head for the recreation areas where there was plenty of wine, women, song or whatever. Unfortunately, his mother died from tetanus after a medical incident, so he returned home to be with his family. His brother was later killed in action. were transferred off and sent to Commanders School so they could command their own boats and KRETSCHMER asked for battle experienced officers as replacements. OTTOs New Boat, the Type VII-B boat U-99. The German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 began the war in Europe. Otto Kretschmer was the most successful U-boat commander of the Second World War. He warned Schroeder that the boat was nearly at neutral buoyancy and was riding on the vents so he should open the valves slowly and carefully. The main area of operations were the seas and estuaries off East of England and Scotland, with mine-laying operations in the Baltic, to counter the Royal Navy Submarine Service at the end of 1939. Our DVD-56 features OTTO KRETSCHMER and you may get a glimpse of that DVD click here: SCENE 1 SCENE 2 SCENE 3, OTTO KRETSCHMER was with us for several of our Patrols in Germany and also in the USA. COOPER returned to the bus, instructed everyone to check into their room then come right down to the dining room for the evening meal. Joachim Schepke arrived in U-100 and sank seven. [64] Four ships were sunk, but two U-boats were sunk, one of which was U-47. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea. [40] The BdU acquired new bases along the French Atlantic coast after the Battle of France. [10] According to one historian, Kretschmer was a patriot and loyal to the government, but later "eschewed Nazi efforts to glorify his success through propaganda. It was on his third patrol that he sank his first ship, the Glen Farg, a small freighter was carrying pulp and Ferrochrome. A high achiever at school, he wanted nothing more than to join the navy, but he was not old enough upon leaving at the age of 17. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. [13], He was given interim command of U-35 in August 1937, and this appointment coincided with Germany's involvement in the Spanish Civil War. Otto Kretschmer was only in combat from September 1939 until March 1941 but was Germany's highest-scoring U-boat commander, sinking 47 ships totaling 274,333 tons. The 28-ship convoy was poorly defended by a destroyer and a corvette. In later years, Kretschmer was often interviewed for television and radio programmes - including an appearing in the landmark British 1974 documentary series The World at War. The Life of Germany's Highest Scoring U-boat Commander. unread, Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM 8/20/98 . [20] Kretschmer departed from Kiel for the third war patrol on 1 October. He commissioned U-99 on 18 April 1940 which was part of the 7th U-boat Flotilla. Incredibly though, this war hero, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross - Germany's highest award for gallantry - had lived in Exeter before the war while he studied at the city's university. [56] Laurentic and Patroclus had been loaded with wooden barrels to increase buoyancy. [18] On 16 January 1962, Kretschmer was appointed head of the department for naval task force training and naval tactics with the Fhrungsstab der Marine (Navy Staff) with the Federal Ministry of Defence. He earned the nickname "Silent Otto", both for his successful use of the "silent running" capability of U-boats and for his reluctance to transmit radio messages during patrols. 3099067 [37] After sinking Magogthe submarine's first victimKretschmer gave the crew a bottle of brandy and directions to Ireland. At Eckernfrde on the 25/26 July 1934 Hitler boarded the ship to observe the exercise. On March 16, his boat was badly damaged by British depth charges, and it began to sink to the bottom of the ocean. The OKM was established as the supreme command of the navy responsible for all facets of naval warfare. That boat is seen to the left on a barge going down the Donau River for Costanza, Rumania on the Black Sea coast to operate against Soviet forces under other Skippers including RUDOLF ARENDT (7563-2011). [31] 157 of the Daring crew were killed, including Commander Sydney Cooper. [38] Acts of compassion in submarine warfare were "selective and fickle", one historian wrote when describing Kretschmer's rescue of a lone man in a raft. The sound of the depth charges nearby rattled von KNEBELand he dived the boat! OTTO KRETSCHMER indeed, was a fine man! 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. They all got along perfectly, and MacIntyre told KRETSCHMER that these were the only truly good bridge games hed had during the war. All Rights Reserved. Schroeder never returned. Death and burial ground of Kretschmer, Otto Wilhelm August "Silent Otto". On 4 October 1939 he sank the coastal ship Glen Farg (876GRT). [75] In March 1942, the prisoners were transported to Bowmanville Camp near Lake Ontario in Canada. Alongside his military skill was a character that remained rooted in the traditions of the Prussian military. The report contained the remark, "Kretschmer demonstrated his extraordinary courage in many instances. Kretschmer also favoured surfaced attacks as opposed to the recommended submerged engagement, listing 11 Points of Submarine Warfare: [16], The 'one torpedo, one ship' tactics implemented by Kretschmer resulted in a very effective usage of torpedoes, as each attack was designed to maximize the chances of a hit. [2] His father was a teacher at the local Volkschule (primary school), which Otto attended from 1918 to 1921. . Des de setembre de 1939 fins que va ser capturat al mar de 1941, va enfonsar 47 vaixell, amb un total de 274.333 tones. He had to return to port to repair the damage. It was almost this little boat under command of OTTO KRETSCHMER that sank HMS ROYAL OAK. The boat slipped beneath the waves, leaving him stranded in freezing waters. Despite being captured, the German nay continued to promote him, and even awarded him he Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords - only the fifth member of the German armed forces to receive the accolade. He admitted that he had become weary of the war some time ago, and latterly had got no satisfaction from sinking ship after ship. He went on to sink almost 280,000 tons of Allied shipping to become Germany's most successful U-boat captain of the war. Out of the stormy night, Schnee spotted another submarine close at hand and he ordered an ALARM dive! Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 - 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War . Kretschmer was guided onto convoy OB-191. U-99 tried in vain to assist Prien in U-47, against OB290. OTTO and his wife were already in the dining room. Her eyes misted up and a smile came to her lips, and then she said; A canal ran along behind the Kretschmer house and here we see Mrs. Kretschmer feeding the ducks with their little Schnauzer Juli. On 1 November 1958, he was transferred to the position of commander of the Bundesmarine's Amphibische Streitkrfte ("amphibious forces"), a position he held until 15 January 1962. [28] Kretschmer returned to Wilhelmshaven on 15 January. I am grateful to the late Horst Bredow and Peter Monte at the Deutsches U-Boot-Museum for providing access to the unpublished records of U23 and U99. That same day the British escorts scored another success against the Kriegsmarine when the noted U-boat skipper Joachim Schepke was killed aboard U-100, having been depth charged, rammed and sunk by Vanoc. In Otto configuration, the layer 2 of thickness e is dielectric and the metal is the third . 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